Vaccine Shedule Safe for Kids, Panel Says

The Institute of Medicine, which advises the government on health, looked into the issue due to concerns from some parents that children receive too many vaccines, too soon.

Parents can have confidence about the safety of the standard childhood vaccine schedule, according to a new report from an expert panel.

The Institute of Medicine, which advises the government on health, looked into the issue due to concerns from some parents that children today receive too many vaccines, too soon.

But delaying shots only prolongs the time that babies and children are vulnerable to "devastating diseases," says co-author Pauline Thomas, an associate professor of preventive medicine at New Jersey Medical School.

"There is ample evidence that it's not safe not to follow the schedule," Thomas says. "It's well known that in places where vaccines are delayed or missed, that's where we are beginning to see vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks."